PerformanceWe've exposed a few in-game chat commands that allows you to customize the performance to your desires and needs. Most computers can handle 30FPS and draw the UI every frame without issue, but some systems cannot. The default will be set to 10 updates / second for the UI, but now it is fully customizable. Here are the chat commands:

getfps -- reports the current FPS for the max frame rate and UI frame rate.

setmaxfps # -- Set it between 5 and whatever you want, and the game will render as fast as possible. If it caps out at 60, then turn off your v-sync. This is still restricted to 30fps in multiplayer games due to the fact it is tightly coupled to network events and running a network game at 60fps would result in double the network activity for each player. As mentioned we’re working on trying to decouple these in the future

setuifps # -- Set it between 1 and whatever you want, but it will not exceed the max fps. This works in both single and multiplayer games.

1) Scenario Editor:

Change Object Name Trigger now functions correctly and enables players to change names.

Triggers in the Editor no longer disappear when editing the map.

Triggers in the Editor are now correctly highlighted yellow.

Units list now correctly defaults to the Units category.

Difficultly level now says hardest rather than harder.

Delete Garrisoned Unit button no longer crashes.

Deleting triggers and effects no longer crashes.

2) Mod Manager:

Preview images now need to be jpg files to get around the 1MB limit.

The “Error 25” message when adding a large preview image has been improved.

Validation should no longer stall if the player has not accepted the Steam User Agreement.

Legacy mods now show the appropriate icons for subscribed and published.

Invalid mod files will now be removed when running the game (If the player had extension-less files in their mods directory that matched the name of the mod they were trying to upgrade the extraction would fail).

3) History Page:

Images are no longer cropped.

Mouse wheel scrolling now functions correctly.

Britons header text is now displayed correctly.

Britons history text is no longer cut off by the scroll bar.

Civilization specific audio should now be playing correctly for each civilization.

Generic drum audio should now be playing for all non-civilization categories.

4) General:

Dragging the selection box in the mini map is now smoother.

Tribute resource images are now being displayed correctly.

Clearing Tribute now correctly clears the number on the image.

Campaign objective text is now correctly being crossed out when completed.

Selecting Print Screen on the Main Menu no longer crashes.

Addressed a random crash when selecting Scenario/Main Menu on the Post Game screen.

Unit heath bars are now larger and more visible.

Tech tree info boxes are no longer bold.

Tech tree info boxes are no longer highlighted yellow, the background is now white.

The game will now launch if the installation directory started with a space.

Known Issues:

Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.

Restore multiplayer games has not been fully implemented and may not load correctly.

Steam Workshop

Advance to the Steam Age!
Explore new maps, multiplayer scenarios, and user created campaigns. Or reinvent your game experience with new sounds, visuals, AI, units, and more! Ready to share your creations with the world? Upload right from the map editor, or collaborate with friends to create a masterpiece collection.

New DLC Available

Explore a host of new features with Age of Empires II - The Forgotten including

Steam Trading Cards

Steam Trading cards are now available for Age of Empires II: HD. Collect them all to craft badges, emoticons, coupons, and unique profile backgrounds!

About This Game

In Age of Empires II: HD Edition, fans of the original game and new players alike will fall in love with the classic Age of Empires II experience. Explore all the original single player campaigns from both Age of Kings and The Conquerors expansion, choose from 18 civilizations spanning over a thousand years of history, and head online to challenge other Steam players in your quest for world domination throughout the ages. Originally developed by Ensemble Studios and re-imagined in high definition by Hidden Path Entertainment, and Skybox Labs, Microsoft Studios is proud to bring Age of Empires II: HD Edition to Steam!

This game has long been a childhood favorite. It was the first game I ever bought and owned for the PC. I played a lot of this game, mainly singleplayer back in 2006, but scratched the CD a couple years later. When I found it had been remastered on Steam I was quick to purchase myself a copy and have been playing both singleplayer and multiplayer since. For those of you who used to own a copy like myself, I highly advise purchasing this digital edition, as it offers both the same nostalgic gameplay and a great strategic outlet. The Forgotten DLC also gives you more to explore and adds even greater variety to an already extensive game. I highly recommend this title, as it has quickly (re)become a personal favorite.For those of you who haven't played Age of Empires before, it was one of the older RTS games dating back to the late 90s / early 21st century. I'm surprised more people don't play it. You are given a wide selection of civilizations with specific perks each, and try to race each other towards an objective, be it a Wonder Race, Deathmatch, or King of the Hill. All of which are great fun! What really stands out with this game is that there are hundreds, if not thousands of ways to win. Granted, the mechanics may seem simple and outdated, but when trying to runn an entire empire with 200+ units against up to seven other players, every click counts as you try to out-maneuver, out-think, and out-micro your opponent. The graphics may take a while to get used to, but what you really should look forward to enjoying is the satisfaction of wrecking the strong defenses of an enemy with allies or alone, and conquering lands one by one. A great title, I also highly advise purchasing this for the newer community.